MS drug may prevent heart failure

New research from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Medicine has found that a drug approved to treat multiple sclerosis shows promise for treating cardiac hypertrophy. This is a condition that involves the thickening of the heart muscle and often leads to heart failure. As the heart muscle thickens, the interior volume of the heart shrinks, forcing the heart to work harder to pump a diminishing volume of blood.

But in the study, the MS medication, known as FTY-720, appeared, in mice, to lead to less stiffening of the heart muscle and overall improved cardiac function. The drug also blocked the activity of a protein that can cause cardiac hypertrophy.

The drug is a fungus derived from a traditional Chinese medicine, where it is used as an eternal-youth serum. The compound is currently approved to treat multiple sclerosis and is a chemical cousin of a drug that is widely used as an immunosuppressant to prevent rejection following an organ donation.

Due to the relatively common nature of cardiac hypertrophy and its potentially fatal consequences, the discovery of a possible treatment could have a significant impact. The researchers hope that FTY-720 can be used to prevent heart failure in patients who developed it both as a result of high blood pressure and genetics.

Dementia rates drop sharply

Two new studies published in The Lancet suggest that dementia rates may be falling sharply around the world, softening concerns that aging populations in many countries will bring a wave of dementia among the elderly. One of the studies found that dementia rates have fallen 25 percent over the last two decades among people 65 and older in England and Wales. Specifically, it dropped from 8.3 percent to 6.2 percent in a study of 7,635 randomly selected participants aged 65 and older. This trend is projected to continue in many developed countries.

The second study, from Denmark, found that the percentage of patients who suffer from the most severe impairment from dementia fell from 22 percent to 17 percent.

Experts have suspected a decline in dementia rates for some time, though it has been difficult to prove. Now, scientists have statistical evidence to back these hypotheses, which they believe can be attributed to a generally healthier and better educated population. Across the board, there is a lower incidence of dementia among better educated people, as well as among those who control their blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Consuming fish while pregnant can lower anxiety

Pregnancy can be an extremely stressful time for women, but based on the results of a recent study, they may be able to reduce their anxiety by making sure they eat a lot of fish. The research from Bristol University in the U.K. and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil found that women who never ate seafood were 53 percent more likely to have high levels of anxiety than women who frequently ate it during their pregnancies.

The study looked at 9,530 pregnant women who responded to food questionnaires throughout their pregnancies. At 32 weeks, their anxiety symptoms were measured. The results showed that women who never ate seafood were more likely to have high anxiety, and that pregnant women who ate a vegetarian diet were 25 percent more likely to have high anxiety than those who ate meat and fish.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that pregnant women eat up to 12 ounces a week of varying fish and shellfish, including shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish. The FDA recommends against eating shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish when pregnant, as these fish are more likely to have high mercury levels.

The researchers suspect that there is a connection between consuming n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids – found in fish – and anxiety during pregnancy, though little is known about this connection.